I would like to share an e-mail which I received from Lee Vogel with very exciting news concerning his COPD health! The results are pretty astounding!!
Before my move I lived in Napavine, Washington, which is in SW Washington – near Centralia/Chehalis, WA.
I am finally following the advice of my doctor.He said; “Move to the coast and live near the ocean with a moderate climate.”So I moved to Coos Bay, Oregon.
After only three weeks here, the results are pretty astounding! -I can increasingly breathe without the need for supplemental 02! -I can do ‘no-stress’ walks without the need for supplemental 02! -I can hum without coughing. -I can sing without coughing or choking on phlegm!! ( I was a barbershop singer) I can sing again for an hour without supplemental 02! -I used to have 1-2 daily nose bleeds, Now, none in two weeks! -I sleep better, longer and I am feeling more rested when I wake. -My energy level is increasing steadily.
Most of these things I have not been able to do for 10 years!!Living at sea level in the humid conditions here is what makes it all work for me.It will not work for every COPD patient, but it works for me.That is why moved and I am loving it!
I am actually starting to think about re-joining the Barbershop Harmony Society! That would be my ultimate victory!
Born in 1938 in Minnesota, Lee (as he prefers) grew up in the northwest, sang in church choirs, played in orchestras, spent 3-years in the Marine Corps, married and became the father of four children. He made his professional career helping to pioneer and develop the computer industry from 1957 until 1998. Lee learned early on that he could easily move from computer programming into technical writing, sales, teaching, management and public relations, holding all those titles and more.
Something of a renaissance man, Lee became a private pilot, barbershop singer and composer. He wrote, produced and directed musical comedy stage plays, wrote and published monthly newsletters, taught public relations and became one of the leaders of the Barbershop Harmony Society. He earned a Bachelor of Harmony degree from the Society in 1997. He also played several musical instruments, which he applied to other types of music, principally Bluegrass and Dixieland jazz.
COPD changed everything! Originally diagnosed in 1997, Lee's life turned upside down as he was unable to do any of the things he loved to do; sing, fly, attend music festivals or even family events. Exasperated he decided to do something he had never done before; write poetry about his experiences with his life-threatening ailment. He continued writing while he progressed through testing, diagnosis and open-chest lung reduction surgery in 2002. Encouraged by his family, medical teams and other poets, Lee decided to continue writing to create the book Huffin' n Puffin': Living With COPD as a means of helping other COPD patients. The book was published in the fall of 2004 by Infinity Publishing.
'The following poems are from the book "Huffin' n Puffin': Living With COPD" by Lee Vogel.
The experiences of having COPD are difficult to describe to others. Everyone asks, "How does it feel? What is it like to have COPD? You don't look ill. Can you descirbe what it's like? Does it hurt? Why can't you sing any more? Are you okay? Why don't you have any energy? Why can't you climb steps? Why can't you attend your favorite event? Why is your color so white? Why are you inside on such a beautiful day?!" Family and friends often ponder or pose these questions as one tries to live and cope with a COPD breathing disorder.
To show someone else how it feels to have a COPD (or similar) breathing disorder is really fairly simple. This actually works (although it may not be the same for all forms of the disease). Have the person place their cupped hand/s over their own mouth and nose. Leave small spaces between the fingers for air. Have them try to breathe easily in that mode. To demonstrate breathing difficulty, close the fingers a little bit and close off the air supply while they try to breathe. That is how it feels to a COPD patient! Oxygen starvation - slow suffocation! It will not take long for them to get the message! You will no longer hear, "I cannot understand it!"
Here is my attempt to provide the answers as I try to describe my form of COPD.
Those of us who contract a dread disease like COPD must come to grips with all the really hard questions about life. And, we must identify and deal with the answers as quickly as possible. Under these circumstances, the pressure to achieve the answers adds a lot of pressure and stress to daily living at a time when you can least afford it. While it's not fun, it is essential!
What are your worst fears? How will you deal with them? If your life is suddenly shortened, what decisions will you make about your health, life, family, finances, insurance, car, home, 'toys' and more? When you go to the dentist, will the choices you make be for short-term or long-term care? Do you have a will? Living will? Are you an organ donor? Can or will you do all you can for yourself and your loved ones?
The choices I make for myself may not be the right choices for someone else. Given the chance, how would you counsel another? Given the ailment, how would you deal with these things?
All these and more suddenly stem from one cataclysmic moment. Have you ever wondered how the afflicted felt at the moment of hearing that news?
